Shoulder pads are typically employed in garments, such as jackets, to provide fullness and to provide a proper shoulder appearance. One conventional method for applying a shoulder pad to a garment such as a jacket is by sewing the pad into position either manually or through the use of a sewing machine. Another alternative method is to fuse the pad in position by using a heat activated fusible glue.
The present state of the art in shoulder pad fusing typically employs shoulder pads having a fusible material impregnated into the lining of the pads. Heat is employed to melt the fusible material onto the garment, which heat is applied by way of a special machine which goes beyond the scope of the present application. This machine is typically referred to as a shoulder pad fusing machine.
The disadvantage of the above techniques which constitute the present state of the art is that they are not capable of being used with shoulder pads of the standard type, i.e. of the type which are not provided with any fusible material.